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“I can hear you in there, talking to yourself,” Brody’s voice says from the other side of the door, and I jump.
“Brody! Don’t you dare come in here. Didn’t anyone ever tell you that it’s bad luck for you to see the bride on the day of the wedding?”
“Nope. Never. Probably because I was raised by wolves,” he says, and I can hear the grin in his voice. “That’s all a bunch of horseshit, you know.”
“What if it’s not?”
“Well, I also heard it’s good luck when it rains on a wedding day, and there isn’t a raindrop in sight. So, does that mean we are already doomed in the luck department? I just came from outside, and my nuts basically caught on fire because it’s so hot and sunny, and now, I’d love for you to help put them out. A nice, wet—”
“Brody,” I growl, “not today.”
“Wait, what? We’re about to be married. We have to have hot, kinky, wild sex on this day. That’s the kind of shit that should be a rule.”
“Why would you want to have sex with me?” I squeak before a lump the size of a grapefruit lodges itself in my throat. “I’m swollen. I have cankles. And my nipples are gross-looking.”
“I saw them nips yesterday, baby girl. They looked and tasted delicious,” he tosses back. “As for the cankles, I think you’re as beautiful as ever.”
He’s too sweet to me. He’d never tell me if the way I look right now turns him off. But how could it not? Despite eating healthy and exercising this entire pregnancy, I’ve developed preeclampsia, which has made everything swell. Heck, even my nose looks bigger to me. Brody makes me check my blood pressure at least ten times a day because he’s so scared something bad will happen to me or the baby. And I can’t blame him.
So, this wedding is super low-key. Because, one, it’s the middle of the hockey season, and low-key is all we have time for. And, two—the bigger reason, as far as he’s concerned anyway—he didn’t want me to stress. It was important to me that I had the same last name as him and the baby when he or she was born.
I sniffle a few times, blotting my cheeks with some toilet paper. Damn hormones. These days, I can’t even listen to certain songs without bawling my eyes out.
“Bria, I’m coming in,” he utters. “Please.”
“I don’t want bad luck!”
He’s quiet for a moment before the door creaks open the smallest bit. “Give me your hand,” he says, holding his out but keeping the rest of his body behind the door.
I hold my hand out, and he takes it.
“You’re gorgeous, Bria. I know you don’t see it right now, but I promise you, there isn’t a single other woman who could ever take my breath away the way you do. And I mean, right now included. I love the way you look pregnant. You know why? Because you’re keeping our little person safe inside of you. Your body is the reason he or she is going to get to join us soon. And that body? Well, it’s also really fucking sexy.”
I squeeze his hand, sniffling and snotting like a toddler. “Thank you.”
“I have something for you.” He puts a string around my fingers before releasing my hand. “It’s not much, but I think you’ll like it.”
Moving my hand back, I look at the pale yellow gift bag I’m now holding before tearing the tissue paper out. I lift the small piece of fabric out and hold it up in front of me, and when I do, the sobbing only gets worse.
Printed on a tiny white onesie is the same design on the shirts I made for Brody and me when I surprised him with a trip to Disney World. Only, below our design, in dainty little font, it says,Baby’s first trip to the Magic Kingdom.
“Oh, Brody.” I pull the onesie to my chest, hugging it. “I love this and you so much.”
“We’re going to take our baby there, Bria. Even if, by then, it’s more overcrowded and it costs us a month’s income to do it.” He laughs. “I didn’t get to see the world when I was a kid. I didn’t get to see anything. But this baby, they are going to. They won’t have to tell stories. In fact, we’re going to take them to Disney World so many times that they will probably be, like, twenty-two years old, begging for us to leave them be. But I’ll be like,No, you little shit. This is a tradition! Wait in that line with your mama and wear them ears.”
“Damn right we will.” I laugh, knowing he’s only half-joking. We probably will actually do that to this poor kid.
“I’m going to go now. But I’ll be waiting for you. I’ll wait as long as you need me to. Always.” He holds his hand out again, and I take it. “I can’t wait to call you my wife. Love you, baby.”
He releases my hand, and I hear his footsteps as he walks away. And as I look in the mirror, I straighten up. Because I’m about to marry Brody O’Brien. The man I thought I’d never have to hold as my own. And he thinks I’m sexy, damn it. And because of that…I’m choosing to believe it.
I pat my baby bump again and grin. “Let’s do this, baby.”
Brody
She walks toward the small group of us in the field, and my breath hitches. The tears pour out of my eyes, and I don’t even try to stop them. It will never matter how long I have with her; she’ll always take my breath away and knock me right on my ass.
She smiles at the few dozen people standing as she walks between them before her eyes land on mine and she smiles. I know she’s self-conscious, but, fuck, she shouldn’t be.
